Advantages: great poetical read that helps people discover different meanings in life Disadvantages: A little short and sometimes too unrealistic
The Alchemist is a book by Paul Coelho that is based around a boy who starts off life as a shepherd. The boy is educated and has many dreams that he wishes to follow.
The boy meets many obstacles in his way to achieving his goal. At times he almost decides to give up on his chosen path and return to being a shepherd.
He meets many people along his journey that ultimately help him discover who he is and what the world is about. The boy becomes more focused as he crosses the desert and in touch with nature, of wish the boy realises that we are all a part of. The boy finally meets the Alchemist who teaches him the final obstacles of reaching his goal.
An excellent read for people trying to discover what life is about and the different paths that it may take depending on the courage of fulfilling your dreams ...
Advantages: Thought provoking.... Disadvantages: Too harmless for any!
finishing the book you forget all about the 'baggage' we carry around with us and feel as free as a bird. Some people will no doubt act upon this feeling but the majority of us will just pick our 'baggage' back up and carry on as normal.
However this book affects you it does prompt you to question where your true treasure really does lie. It is worth a read if only for this thought provoking question!
Paulo Coelho is a Braziian writer and The Alchemist was translated by Alan R Clark. To date, the book has sold over 35 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 54 languages.
The book is priced at &6.99 and is available at W.H. Smith and almost all major bookshops.
Publishers: HarperCollins
ISBN Number: 0-00-715566-2 ...
Advantages: None Disadvantages: Absolute tripe of the lowest calibre
The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, is billed as a modern classic, yet I find it difficult to discern why. It has the feel of a fable; from a time as hazy as the desert in which it is set, and carries the lessons on life one would expect from such a parable. The feelings of distant memory that it creates, however, fashion a gap between the book and the reader.
It begins with Santiago, a shepherd boy, who gives up his customs to follow a dream he has, a vision of treasure found at the Egyptian pyramids. Along the way he meets a king, a crystal merchant, an Englishman, and an alchemist; all of whom, with their passing involvement, provide him with a piece of the spiritual jigsaw that is his life. Finally, when he arrives at the Egyptian pyramids, he learns a lesson in life that brings him happiness.
The novel is short, and, while it gets ...
